12 Marvel Movie Villains Who Are Just Too Good
Marvel has presented audiences with a wide variety of memorable villains.
Though plenty of them have been underused or underwhelming in film, Marvel has still managed to successfully adapt a few of its villains to the silver screen, making them some of the greatest antagonists in cinema history. And so, to honor these iconic evildoers, let's take a look at the 12 Greatest Villains From Marvel Movies.
WARNING: ??SPOILERS?? AHEAD!!!
12.Ego the Living Planet — Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
This divine Celestial sired countless children in his quest to extend his consciousness across the universe, eventually creating Peter Quill. Though he initially appears to Quill as the loving father he always wanted, he eventually shifts into a callous and egotistical monster who sees no value in mortal life. And to think, James Gunn, Kurt Russell, and Marvel Studios managed to make a giant planet with a face such a great villain.
11.Green Goblin — Spider-Man
While Spider-Man villains typically depict lower-class people wronged by society, Norman Osborn was already at the top of the social ladder. However, after testing an unstable performance-enhancer on himself, he develops an evil alternate personality and became this murderous Mr. Grinch. Unlike previous iterations of the Goblin, you actually feel some sympathy for him as he loses himself to his dark half. Nevertheless, Willem Dafoe's villain steals the show whenever he appears to engage in deliciously evil antics.
10.Hela — Thor: Ragnarok
The Asgardian Goddess of Death and Thor's secret sister, Hela was once Odin's executioner and commander of his army before she was banished to Hel. With her return after Odin's death, she destroyed Thor's hammer, cut out his eye, and took over Asgard. Cate Blanchett delivers an unforgettable performance as Hela, and the fact that Odin hid her character's existence and their bloody history together addressed the real-life issue of imperialism. In the end, she forced Thor and Loki to unleash Ragnarok and destroy Asgard to defeat her, making her one of the greatest threats in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
9.Vulture — Spider-Man: Homecoming
Given how silly a man in a bright-green bird costume is, it was hard to imagine the Vulture being a frightening villain on film. However, Marvel reinvented Adrian Toomes for the silver screen, and Michael Keaton brought his character to new heights. A construction worker who lost his job repairing a war-torn New York, Toomes chose to sell alien weapons in order to help him and his family survive, making him one of Spider-Man's most relatable onscreen adversaries.
8.Mysterio — Spider-Man: Far From Home
Just like Vulture, Quentin Beck was another low-level worker who felt he was wronged by Tony Stark. However, he and his team developed a clever way to trick the world into thinking he's a superhero to get the recognition they deserved (representing the recent trend of misinformation in the media). Though Beck dies battling Spider-Man, he still succeeds by doing the unthinkable and framing the web-slinger for his murder while revealing his identity to the world.
7.Kingpin — Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
In this surprise animated hit, Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of Crime, tries to use a collider to access alternate universes to find new versions of his dead wife and son. With so much power and resources, not only did he nearly succeed in the plan, but he also murdered his universe's version of Peter Parker. While this hulking crime boss is no doubt an evil threat, his motivations throughout the film make him one of the more nuanced villains in the Spider-Verse.
6.Xu Wenwu — Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Much like Spider-Verse's Kingpin, this immortal warlord seeks to bring back his beloved wife, whom he is tricked into believing is trapped in her home village. However, unlike the Kingpin, Wenwu tried to live a normal and righteous life with his family, only for his dark past to bring him back to villainy. Tony Leung's character upends and transcends the offensive stereotypes embodied in the original Mandarin character portrayed in the comics, making him one of the most realistic and profound villains in Marvel's filmography.
5.Doctor Octopus — Spider-Man 2
For years, Alfred Molina's Doc Ock was hailed as Marvel's best villain put to film. Originally a scientist happily living with his wife, he suffers a failed experiment that cost him his job and his true love. With his four mechanical arms latched onto his body, like the Green Goblin, he starts to lose control of himself. After feeling so much sympathy for the poor scientist, it both warms and breaks the heart to see him sacrifice himself to save New York in the end. But at least we'll get to see him again in No Way Home.
4.Magneto — X-Men franchise
As the villain of one of Marvel's first big films, Magneto introduced many people to how great X-Men stories can be. Originally a prisoner in Auschwitz, Erik Lehnsherr discovered his mutant ability to control metal and magnetic fields while he was imprisoned by the Nazis. After he and his family suffered from racial prejudice during World War II, he came to the conclusion that humans and mutants couldn't co-exist peacefully, driving him to overthrow humanity as the dominant species. A frightening but sympathetic threat, Magneto calls out the real-life bigotry still embedded within humankind, enough to make you somewhat agree with the Master of Magnetism.
3.Loki — Thor, The Avengers
He truly earns his title as the God of Mischief. As the adoptive brother of Thor, Loki constantly comes to blows with him and their father, Odin, as he vies for power. Loki is one of the most complex characters in the MCU, continuously shifting between good and evil while battling with his sense of loneliness and inadequacy, even within his adoptive family. Feeling he is "burdened with glorious purpose," Loki has caused widespread destruction to prove himself to the world. However, audiences have seen this trickster evolve into a better version of himself.
2.Killmonger — Black Panther
After his father was killed by his uncle, King T'Chaka of Wakanda, a young N'Jadaka was abandoned in America, implanting a deep hatred for the king and his family. Growing up to join the Navy SEALs, N'Jadaka became the skilled but ruthless fighter known as Killmonger. A tragic villain with understandable motives, Kilmonger sought to complete his father's goal and help African Americans throughout the world rise up against their racial oppressors with Wakanda's advanced weaponry. Like Magneto, Kilmonger is a character that makes you take a hard look at the state of the world, and Michael B. Jordan delivers an iconic performance that makes it hard to look away from this menacing villain.
1.Thanos — Avengers: Infinity War & Avengers: Endgame
Marvel was building up to him for years. As the big bad of the MCU, Thanos scoured the cosmos for the six Infinity Stones to wipe out half of all life in the universe to stop overpopulation. With so much hype built up around Thanos and his invasion, Marvel could've collapsed under the weight of their own ambition. However, they elevated this legendary villain by making him someone who thought he was doing what was best for the universe. And even when the Avengers teamed up against him, his godlike power and indomitable will allowed him to achieve his goal, throwing the entire MCU into chaos.